Bayern Munich Have Signed A Wonderkid Who Once Rejected A Move To Chelsea

Bayern Munich have completed the signing of a wonderkid who once rejected the opportunity to join Chelsea.

The reigning Bundesliga champions have pushed forward with a deal for Hamburger's Jann-Fiete Arp, who will arrive at the club by "1st July 2020 at the latest."

According to a statement from Bayern Munich's website, the two clubs have reached an agreement that "includes flexible changeover periods."

It means that the 19-year-old forward could become a Bayern Munich player from the summer of 2019, but there is also the option for him to arrive at the Bavarians before the start of the 2020-21 season.

"The decision as to when he leaves Hamburger SV will be taken by Arp alone," the German club added.

Arp, who has previously been capped for Germany under-16s and under-17s, came through the Hamburger youth academy and broke into the senior team in 2017.

Credit: PA

He has since made 29 appearances for the club and scored on two occasions.

"The negotiations with Bayern Munich were constructive and fair," says Ralf Becker, the sporting director for Hamburger.

"The relegation has hit Fiete very hard. He wanted to stay here and help us get back up. He puts everything into this goal, and nothing will change in the future."

Bayern Munich were interested in signing Arp last year, though he committed his future to Hamburger after he penned a new deal that would keep him at the club until 2020 (that didn't work out as planned, did it?).

"Leaving this club was never an option for me," he told HSV.de at the time.

Credit: PA

"Especially in such a hard time -- I cannot and did not want to leave HSV, but give the club back what it deserves.

"That's why it was clear to me early on that this path here at HSV has not ended for me yet."

The Hamburger star, who would provide manager Niko Kovač with a backup option for Robert Lewandowski, named Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane as a "role model" for him.

Credit: PA

"He plays the way I want to play. He's pacy and very comfortable with and without the ball," he told UEFA (via BBC Sport).

"It's difficult to stop him. You need to pay attention for 90 minutes because he can score at any time."

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]